The Sahashi Plan
by shouty mcshouty
Summary: It isn't easy being a pawn in the machinations of an evil mega corporation, a domineering mother and an inn full of misfits but somehow Minato Sahashi finds a way to get by with the help of his flight of overly affectionate Sekirei.
1. Release

Disclaimer: Sekirei doesn't belong to me but to some shady MBI like corporation.

Takami Sahashi puffed nervously on a slightly crooked cigarette as she waited for the chairman's grand entrance. It has become something of a company tradition that the two of them would show up in the secondary underground garage of the MBI headquarters when any of the Sekirei were to be released into the wild, regardless of whether they had any direct hand in their adjustment period or not.

With her shock of white hair, slender figure, conventional scientist's garb and dangling cigarette, she struck a contrary sight. While she didn't elicit nearly the same level of gossip as the Director, who by design seemed to have the market cornered when it came to all things eccentric, she still managed to garner a few whispers of her own. Those that had any prolonged dealings with her quickly came to disregard this surface dressing and instead focus on the keen intelligence she possessed and her peerless mastery of all matters Sekirei related.

As it happened, the subject due for imminent release this morning was the first of Takami's solo charges so she found herself experiencing a bittersweet mix of emotions - pride and happiness for the Sekirei finally being allowed to reach her potential mixed with sadness at actually seeing her go after being so close to them for so long. In many respects, she felt closer to the Sekirei in her care then her own natural children. Not wishing to add any more pressure on the departing Sekirei, she elected to behave like the complete professional she felt herself to be...unlike some others she knew.

As if he knew she was thinking about him, the elevator announced its arrival with a soft chime and Minaka Hiroto swept into the cavernous complex with a wild cheer, somehow knowing that all eyes would find him immediately.

"No 88!" he announced without preamble pointing dramatically over at the already excited girl, "Are you ready to take part in the Sekirei Plan?"

"Yes Professor" she shouted back immediately with equal vigor, startling the attendant physicians who were checking over her one last time.

"Yes!" he cheered throwing both arms in the air as he rapidly approached the circle of people around her, letting the girl's boundless joy infuse his own. Takami simply sauntered in his wake, flicking the last of her cigarette away as she joined the childlike pair.

Standing before her, he placed both of his hands on her shoulders and scrutinized her through his thin glasses. "Do you know what your purpose is, Sekirei?"

"To find my destined Ashikabi," she answered promptly, the question and answer sequence almost a prayer for all Sekirei.

"And when you find your Ashikabi?"

"Earn my wings so that together we can shape the future, "the light in her eyes echoing her most fervent belief in what she was saying.

"Excellent," Minaka smiled, "I hope you know that all of us have very high expectations for you. Any Sekirei that has Takami as their adjuster should easily make it to the third stage at the very least" Takami had to force a smile at this remark from Minaka - he said the same thing to every Sekirei as they were about to leave. She really wished Minaka could tone down his song and dance routine but that was an argument she had lost long ago. Losing didn't mean she couldn't still be pissed off about it though.

"My dear doctor, will you do the honors?" he asked her with an elaborate bow, unconcerned by the all too apparent menace in her eyes.

Takami maneuvered herself between the young girl and the director, wanting this last exchange to at least be somewhat private.

"Musubi, remember what I told you - the second you leave this compound we can no longer protect you. I know you've trained hard and you're not afraid of anyone but you're not to fight until you find your Ashikabi. Do you understand?"

"Yes" she replied solemnly.

"Good girl," Takami nodded apparently satisfied.

She began giving the final instructions. "Okay then, you have to pick one of the SUVs behind you," she indicated to the darkened vehicles parked in a semi circle near them. "Each of them has a random location programmed into the sat-nav that not even the driver knows yet. Once you reach the location, you're on your own and your adventure begins."

88 nodded, having gone over the departure procedure a hundred times already. Finally reaching the point where she was unable to contain herself any longer she grabbed Takami in a silent hug.

"Good luck Musabi, and remember the north" Takami whispered just loud enough for Musabi to hear. She had a reputation to uphold after all.

They separated and with a final bright smile, Musubi lightly hopped into the nearest vehicle ready to fulfill the purpose she was created for. The door closed and with no ceremony at all, both it and the unoccupied vehicles left, the pair of empty vehicles departing simultaneously to throw off any interested eyes that might be watching the MBI headquarters.

With the vehicles gone, the assorted physicians and hangers on quickly dispersed to leave the two founders of MBI alone in the garage.

"That's quite an interesting outfit she chose," Minaka remarked, "I can see your influence in her choice as I seem to remember that one hot summer when you wore a very little"

WHACK!

"Hee hee. Takami-chan still has a quick temper and an even quicker fist" Minaka laughed, gingerly rubbing the back of his head as Takami stalked off, any semblance of politeness towards the director gone now that the Sekirei had departed. There were few things that cheered him more than knowing that he could still get a reaction out of the old girl.

* * *

Minato Sahashi carefully made his way down the darkened aisle, simultaneously trying to accomplish the twin tasks of navigating his way back to his seat while more importantly not dropping one bit of his precious cargo for fear of being sent back to the concession stand again to start the vicious cycle all over again. With the auditorium lights dimmed and no trailers playing yet he found himself having to pause after every step to see if he was at the right row or not by checking the aisle seats for a piece of gum he had noticed on the floor as he left. Hopefully nobody had picked it up.

Determining that he had arrived at the right row (by stepping on the gum rather than spotting it) he shuffled past a few other patrons (apologizing profusely as he did so) before finally finding his seat next to his three companions.

"Ah Minato - you're a life saver. I was going to start eating my fist I was getting so hungry," Seo Kaoru informed him happily as he grabbed the largest box of popcorn from Maintops tired arms. As always, Seo's general demeanor suited his appearance perfectly - laidback. His clothes obviously hadn't been washed recently and the steady growth of stubble indicated shaving had also taken a back seat in the past few days. To most people, appearance was a matter of personal pride but the truth was that Seo didn't really care how he looked. If it wasn't for the company he kept, no one would spare Seo a second glance of any kind.

His companions on the other hand, were anything but forgettable. Sitting on either side of the unkempt man were two of the most stunning women Minato had ever seen. As if having a pair of women accompanying him wasn't enough the pair of women also happened to be twins. But the most unbelievable thing of all as far as Minato was concerned was that they were both happily in a relationship with Seo - there was no apparent hostility between the two and they seemed as content to share him as they were the popcorn they were now absently eating. Had it been anybody else Minato would have assumed the relationship had some basis in money changing hands but knowing that Seo never had any money had ruled that idea out.

It was just one of life's mysteries, one of many that baffled Minato on a daily basis.

Minato took his seat next to Hibiki or "the calm one", as Minato referred to her internally – as a matter of self preservation he had learned how to tell the two apart quickly as Hikari had a hair trigger temper and generally concerning topics that no one would suspect. Safe in the relative darkness he glanced over at them nervously, still intimidated by their beauty. Both of them were wearing almost matching outfits that somehow managed to the trick of appearing almost casual, while still showing off their figures without being tawdry and displaying much skin. Not feeling all that brave, he looked away quickly, not wanting to be caught gaping.

"This had better be better than the last film you brought us to Seo," Hikari warned from the far seat.

"It's supposed to be funny," Seo replied defensively as the choice of film was usually his and his tastes tended to run towards the stupid.

"Hmm," Hikari muttered, obviously unconvinced.

"Quiet," Hibiki hushed them, "the trailers are starting."

* * *

The Izumo Inn's single phone's unobtrusive tone rang steadily for a few moments as Miya Asama carefully placed a single three legged stool next to the stairs where the handset was located. Perching delicately upon the seat she picked up the receiver.

"Dr Sahashi," she answered without pause, "punctual as always."

"Miya," Takami's voice broke through a lot of background noise indicating she was on her mobile and probably outdoors. "Is he around?" her voice betrayed her hope that the "he" in question wasn't.

"No," Miya replied, "He left for the cinema with Seo and the twins. Apparently Seo believes that seeing some juvenile comedy will cheer Minato up."

"He really needs better friends," Takami sighed.

"Seo is trash," Maya agreed, "but if he was good enough for Takehito, he is good enough for your son."

"How did he take the exam results? He hasn't called me yet which means he's working up the courage at the moment." It was evident from her tone that she wasn't too upset about Minato's most recent failure.

"He put a brave face on it but it was obvious he was sorely disappointed," Miya stated, sharing her observations.

There was silence for a moment, "It's a shame. I've seen a transcript of his paper and he would have been fine had he not started second guessing himself."

"You know this latest setback will not deter him. That foolish sense of male pride will make him try again and again until he gets in."

"It probably won't matter by then," Takami practically whispered.

Miya didn't argue the sentiment as they both knew that the Sekirei Plan was most likely to play out in the next few months and would be the only thing that mattered to the residents of Tokyo for better or for worse.

"You are proceeding with your plan I take it."

"It's done. I'm not leaving something as important as this to dumb luck," Takami stated firmly.

"There's no guarantee he's even capable or eligible and even if he is - that they'll cross paths," Miya suggested.

Takami scoffed though it was more sad then mocking. "Given how messed up his parent's DNA is, there's no chance he's not eligible. I grant you there's an element of chance involved with meeting the girl but I've done my best to stack the odds there as well. Every bit of exposure she got to the outside world mentioned the north of the city. She'll go to where's familiar."

Miya said nothing about Takami's actions. While she could understand to some degree the rationale behind it, the ease with how Takami could pervert a fledging Sekirei's nature offended her. It was an open wound between them but it was an argument that had reached an impasse and so Miya avoided reopening it.

"How long has she been out?"

"We released her this morning. I was hoping to tweak her a little more but Minaka wants them all out as fast as possible and he was noticing all the time I was dedicating on her."

"Does she suspect?"

"Not at all, she's far too trusting for her own good."

"Sounds like an odd choice to entrust your son to her?"

"I'm hoping that Minato will step up and be smart enough for the two of them."

Miya said nothing to this, not quite ready to share her opinion of the boy with his mother.

"So how many have been released now?

"Seventy-four, twenty-five are unwinged, six...returned. We released three in the last two days alone. At the current rate they should all be out within sixty days - provided Minaka doesn't do anything else especially stupid."

It went unsaid that they both figured that this was a likelihood being that they were founding members of the Minaka is an idiot club.

"In the end, we can't fight fate," Miya reasoned even though she knew Takami had a dim view of whole destiny thing, empirical evidence to the contrary be damned.

"We can try," Takami grumbled, also not really wanting to start this old argument.

"Your daughter was successful in her college application?" Miya asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Yukari's too confident for her own good. I couldn't nudge her like I could Minato even if I wanted to. I imagine she's packing everything she owns into travel bags even as we speak."

"I will take her in," Miya offered. Given the women's shared history, it was not an unkind offer.

"I appreciated the sentiment but Yukari probably has plans of her own. Sahashi women like to make their own way in the world. Anyway, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

* * *

"Seo, we're going to go wash - take care of our backs," Hikari commanded over her shoulder as she made her way through the door of their small apartment, already starting to peel off her top.

Minato quickly averted his eyes after glimpsing more skin then was probably safe given the owner of said skin.

Seo turned slowly to face the young man, a Cheshire cat smile now taking up the majority of his face.

"While I'd love to stand here and shoot the shit...well as you can see - duty calls," he thumbed over his should in the general area of the washroom.

Minato nodded, not being a complete idiot despite what his recent exam results claimed. "Okay - I'll ah...I'll leave you to it." He wasn't sure what _it_ was exactly. There was a small bit of him that didn't even want to know but there was however a much larger part of him that yearned to have someone want him to wash their back. They didn't even have to an equally attractive twin sister.

Seo closed the door after seeing Minato off and practically skipped into the small bathroom where he assumed his Sekirei were patiently awaiting his arrival.

"You're not naked" he pouted on seeing the pair half way through changing into the clothes they were most comfortable with, their fighting uniforms.

"How long are we going to have to string that sad-sack along" Hikari huffed at him, making a show of being put out by Minato's presence.

"He just failed his exams...for the second time - cut him some slack. And anyway - it's only once a week and we get free food," which Seo figured was the ultimate winner of any argument.

"It's not healthy for him to be around us, Seo" Hibiki added, strangely adamant.

"He's fine," Seo dismissed her concern with a wave of his hand, "because we're keeping our noses clean and not attracting attention."

The twins said nothing.

"We are keeping our noses clean - right?" Seo asked, suddenly suspicious of their silence.

The girls quietly looked at each other and Seo rolled his eyes, knowing what that meant.

"I don't understand why you insist on going out and picking fights with the un-winged."

"We can't change who we are or what we are." Hibiki replied evenly.

"We need to fight," Hikari added.

"Soon, it won't be safe for us to be around him," Hibiki observed.

Seo sat down on the edge of the bath and sighed, "You sense it too huh?"

"Yes. His soul is calling out loudly now. It's only a matter of time before a Sekirei answers," Hibiki responded as Hikari sniggered at her poetic description.

Seo nodded. From his brief conversations with Miya, he understood that no matter what the young man's own desires or ambitions might be, Minato's mother was fixing the game heavily against him.

* * *

He wasn't sure whether it was something that was naturally part of his makeup (or more likely a product of growing up around strong no-nonsense women) but Minato was never one to wallow in his own misery for too long. Kicking a discarded can along in front of him as he made his way from Seo's downtrodden house to the Isumo Inn, he figured he was _allowed_ have one night to feel sorry for himself but tomorrow he'd have to shape up.

Firstly he'd ring his mother - he'd been putting it off which was a fact that his canny mother would not miss. But she would still expect a call even if the news was bad.

He could hear practically her voice echoing in his head already, "A man must stand up and take responsibility."

"Yeah right" he muttered as he pushed all his frustration into an extra hard kick, catching the side of the can with his foot. He could only watch helplessly as it spun through the air to crash down into a bunch of cardboard boxes and trash bags that had been haphazardly stacked against the back wall of a large town house.

"Hey!" a disgruntled and surprised cry came from what sounded like the trash pile, startling Minato in the process.

"Uh hello?" Minato called, feeling more foolish than usual for talking to a collection of garbage.

"You hit me on the head!" the voice accused him, in truth sounding surprised more than hurt and distinctly feminine as far as Minato could tell.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize there was someone...in the trash." It felt more than a little odd apologizing given the circumstances but if there was fault it was clearly his.

"That's okay I suppose. Just be more careful in future," the trash advised him sagely.

"Uhmm, why are you in the trash?" Minato dared to ask after a moment's silence.

"I'm hiding," was the immediate response - like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Why else would somebody possibly be covered in refuse?

"What are you hiding from?"

There wasn't an immediate response this time until finally "Well there are people who want to fight me but I'm not supposed to be fighting just yet so I'm hiding."

"Uh okay," Minato looked around fearing for a moment that this might be some sort of elaborate practical joke, "there doesn't seem to be anyone around now. It should be safe enough for you to come out."

"Do you want to fight me?" the voice asked - suddenly suspicious.

Minato almost laughed out loud. Other then getting hit in the head by his sister for some incorrectly perceived offence, Minato avoided violence with the practiced skill of a life-long pacifist.

"Ah no, I don't want to fight you."

"Okay then," the voice replied happily. The garbage shifted about and what appeared to be a young woman dressed as some kind of kickboxing shrine-maiden, sprang to her feet in front of Minato. Even scuffed and a little tattered as it was, the normally modest outfit failed completely at trying to hide her absurdly curvy figure and the patches of dirt on her face couldn't diminish her obvious beauty. Rather than get caught gaping at her, Minato immediately bowed.

"Please forgive me for hitting you with a can," he practically begged - never before realizing just how interesting his feet could be.

"Well it was an accident so that's okay," she shrugged, wondering why this strange boy was still bowing in front of her. She went to place a hand on his shoulder but paused when he instinctively jumped back from her.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked quizzically as he held his arms up to defend himself..

"I'm sorry. It's just this is usually the moment when I usually get hit…as punishment," Minato sighed realizing that he had over-reacted to her kind gesture.

"I'm not supposed to be fighting yet so that can't be your punishment," she explained thoughtfully.

Looking at the pair of sparring gloves she wore, Minato figured that a slap from this strange girl might hurt a great deal more than one of his sister's love taps. Not wishing to dwell on that thought he changed the subject.

"I didn't know there was a shrine near here," he said indicating to her outfit without actually looking at it.

The girl just looked at him, obviously not understanding what he was getting at.

"Do you live around here…when you're not hiding in garbage?" Minato tried again with a nervous smile.

She placed a slender forefinger to her lips and hummed for a second as though this was the most difficult question she had ever been asked. "I've only just come to the city so I'm not really living anywhere yet" she finally proclaimed, apparently pleased with her answer.

"You're living on the streets!" Minato was shocked. "But surely that can't be safe."

The girl shrugged again, apparently unconcerned.

Minato was torn. This really wasn't his problem and he wasn't sure that Miya would approve but he couldn't just leave the girl to her fate. Again his mother's disproving voice echoed in his head, "A must stand up and take responsibility". Realizing what needed to be done, he steeled his will and looked her in the eye, "Uhm, I'm currently staying at a boarding house near here. The landlady of the inn is very nice and would surely be able to help you find somewhere more permanent to stay."

He knew it was presumptuous on his part to speak for Miya but she did seem to collect odd tenants and a kung fu shrine maiden probably still wouldn't be the weirdest one in the building.

"Will there be food?" the girl asked.

"Sure, I guess" Minato shrugged.

"Good. I'm _really_ hungry," she smiled happily, and a low rumble from her belly seemed to confirm this statement.

"You really are!" Minato exclaimed.

She blushed in embarrassment but smiled when she saw that the strange young man was smiling happily at her.

"We better get you fed," he stated and beckoned towards the inn.

Humming contentedly as she hung her various tenant's laundry, Miya paused the moment she felt that strange prickling on the back of her neck. Knowing what it meant, she took a breath and finished the task at hand.

Assorted clothes hung, she put the basket back in its rightful place and made her way back to the kitchen, seeking comfort in the familiar. She took an apple from the fruit bowl and started peeling it slowly with one of the myriad sharp knives that she carried on her person as she wrote a few things down on a small slip of paper.

It wasn't long until she could hear Minato's nervous babble through the wooden door. He slid it open and seemed surprised for a moment to find her waiting there for him.

"Oh Landlady, you give me a surprise."

Miya smiled enigmatically as if that were the last thing she intended.

"You have a guest I see," she stated.

Minato removed his footwear and stepped out of the way before gesturing at his companion to follow.

"Yes, this is ah, Musubi. I ah, met her and she doesn't have anywhere to stay right now and I was thinking that because..."

Miya held up a hand to stop his rambling.

"Come in Musubi and let me see you."

The young girl dutifully entered the room and stood nervously in front on the appraising land lady.

"Is what Minato says true," she asked, "you have nowhere to stay?"

Musubi nodded emphatically.

"Very well – it was my husband's wish that no one ever be turned away from Izumo Inn. You may stay here but first you must clean up. We can't have you dressed like that in the inn. Minato, take this list and get some more food from the grocers – I wasn't expecting extra company tonight."

Minato nodded happily, pleased that Miya had taken the girl in without raising a fuss, not even thinking to question why she had a list to hand.

"Now young lady, you come with me and we'll get you cleaned before he gets back" Miya commanded kindly.

"Thank you Land Lady, Minato" Musubi bowed to each in turn.

"It's really no prob-" Minato began before Miya halted him by simply pointed at the door,

Minato smiled and nodded again, gathering his shoes and making his way back out into the darkness.

Even if the rapidly departing boy didn't see it, Miya couldn't miss the lingering look her latest charge gave his retreating form as he left.

_Well Takami, you got your wish._

Next Time: Winging and meet your new neighbours_  
_


	2. Taking Flight

It didn't take Miya any longer than the walk to the Inn's indoor washroom to realise that she quite liked the buoyant Sekirei that Takami had chosen as her son's champion. There was a guileless and completely open quality about Musubi that she couldn't help but find refreshing having spent so long playing a life or death game with opponents who were little more than bloodthirsty sharks.

"How do you feel?" she asked as she walked in step with her newest charge.

"Ummm, hungry" Musubi answered, her stomach as usually controlling her thoughts.

Miya smiled, again charmed by the girl's inherent honesty.

"Don't worry – Minato will be back and I will cook you a feast that would satisfy a king," she promised with a little flourish.

Musubi stopped to bow, "thank you so much Landlady – I don't know what I would've done if Minato hadn't found me and brought me here to your wonderful home."

Miya dismissed her thanks with a gentle wave, "My husband always believed that the Inn should be open to anyone and everyone. To cast you out would be an insult to his memory."

"Enough talk about that – you are here now and that is all that matters," she announced as they arrived at the single wooden door that marked the changing room to the Inn's indoor bathing area. "As this is your first night here, I want you to make a good impression with the other tenants." She slid the door opened and pointed at the various features of the large room in turn.

"You probably don't have a change of clothes so you can take one of the kimonos from this basket there once you're finished. Put your dirty clothes in this basket and I'll wash them immediately so they're ready for you to wear tomorrow. I imagine it's probably been a while since you've had a decent wash so I want you to spend at least twenty minutes scrubbing and then another ten soaking. Not a second less," she decreed with a warning finger.

Musubi nodded eagerly and immediately started to undress, blessed with that common Sekirei trait of having no sense of modesty whatsoever. Miya elected to say nothing for the time being, remembering that she too had started out with a very lax view to clothing.

She watched over Musubi until the girl was tentatively testing the water's temperature with her hand.

"Remember, thirty minutes," Miya chimed.

"Yes, Landlady," Musubi replied as she settled down on a stool in the shower area.

Satisfied that Musubi would be busy enough for the next half hour, Miya took up the basket of dirty clothes, closed the door behind her and left the young girl to the cleansing waters.

* * *

"Are you sure she won't just walk in on us," Uzume asked as she flopped down on a cushion.

"No. She'll do as she's told. Possibly the first tenant in the history of the inn who will…" Miya muttered wistfully.

"Landlady wounds me," Homura proclaimed holding a hand over his heart. He then took his seat opposite Miya as he asked "what's she like?"

"Matsu," Miya delegated the answer to the bespectacled girl sitting alongside her.

Matsu pushed her glasses up before beginning. "Number88, Musubi. Her file is quite unusual. While most of it's pretty standard stuff - disciple of the fist, mid level power expectations, notes of high strength, endurance, agility and so on. What makes her interesting though was the presence of highly encrypted sealed entry in her record. After some masterful hacking on my part I was able to get through the security and unlock it. It concerns an incident that occurred on the ship about two years ago. From what I could gather - Number 08 was involved and there were quite a few casualties. The details are vague and there's mention of some unforeseen event but at the end of it all – no more #08."

"Uhh mysterious," Uzume cooed, head resting on her hands.

"Who knows what craziness Minaka was up to back then," Homura grunted.

"Takami has put her son's life in the hands of this girl so I imagine she was pretty stringent in the selection process. Though it may gall some of us to do so, we must trust her for the time being."

Homura makes sure to keep his face neutral but suspects it's actually most difficult for the landlady to have faith in Takami.

"The reason I've called you two here is that as un-winged, I felt it only fair to warn you of what was going to happen once an Ashikabi is present here," she said looking directly at Homura though he seems to miss her intense stare.

"We've lived with him for long enough to know that Minato isn't going to become a different person overnight," Homura stated lightly, not worried in the slightest when it came to the kind hearted boy.

"Perhaps his character won't change but your perception of him might. An Ashikabi's ability to attract Sekirei will increase exponentially as he wings more Sekirei."

"Number 88 is quite low powered. Matsu and I will be in little danger after just her winging."

So dismissive was he of the danger that he failed to notice Matsu sinking back in her cushion.

"I fear it won't be just one for long," Miya declared.

Uzume tried to diffuse the tension – "I think it will be fun to have an Ashikabi and some new Sekirei around."

"It will be dangerous," Miya countered firmly "Especially for you."

"Who me?" Uzume declared, surprised at suddenly becoming the centre of attention.

"You are a rival Sekirei representing another Ashikabi. While things could be friendly and fun it is quite possible you will eventually have to face one another. You should prepare yourself for that eventuality."

"I hadn't given it that much thought," Uzume muttered as she too sank back in her cushion, suddenly deflated.

"The inn will remain a place of sanctuary of course but I cannot enforce that rule beyond these walls," Miya warned them all, the unsaid threat of what would happen to anyone breaking that rule hanging in the air.

Uzume nodded, accepting the Landlady's decree as always and not wanting to give voice to the dark thoughts clamouring for voice in her head.

Miya raised herself from the table, effectively ending the discussion.

"Minato will be back soon. Matsu, once things have settled down, you can return to the Inn as promised. The rest of you, please return for food and greetings in thirty minutes."

They all nodded before going their separate ways.

* * *

Minato wasn't sure exactly how a simple meal had turned into a party but to call it a raucous affair would have been understating it slightly. Though they often ate together in the Inn's rather spacious common room, he didn't believe he had ever seen Uzume and Homura as carefree and wild as he did that evening.

Uzume had always been an exotic mystery to him. He had almost walked into a wall the first time they met, her idea of casual wear being an impossibly small white camisole that failed completely at keeping her decent. A stern talking to from Miya had meant an end to Uzume's almost naked parading but it didn't mean a stop to her haunting his sleep for some time after.

For all that, he found her to be a generally kind and enthusiastic girl but there were times when he caught her in sombre moments of melancholy, when no amount of teasing could raise her spirits. Other than that she was quite a closed book. Besides sleeping and appearing for meals, he wasn't sure what it was exactly she did all day. He figured it must have something to do with the entertainment business given the number of costumes she owned. She was always evasive and quickly changed the subject whenever he shyly quizzed her about it so he dropped the matter with her.

The first and only time he brought it up with the Miya, she had told him that Uzume was entitled to her privacy so that was pretty much that.

If possible Homura turned out to be even more of a mystery but for the exact opposite reason. All the guy appeared to do work constantly – reappearing briefly before some call would drag him out again. After a week of seeing this, Minato had ultimately decided that he was never going into the hosting business - not that it had ever really been an option for him as he felt he had neither the looks nor the attitude to carry it off.

If he was completely honest though, he was quite intimidated by the debonair Homura whose sly wit and gentle manner made him the centre of attention no matter whom he was with.

That was at least until tonight.

Musubi's appearance seemed to set something off in the two as both Uzume and Homura doted on her with an almost frightening zeal. Though she constantly sought his opinions on what the other two were saying, Minato found himself too tongued around the energetic group to offer anything more elaborate then a shrug or a mono-syllabic response.

His shyness didn't go unnoticed either. The other tenants cottoned on quickly to his situation and in the manner of older siblings everywhere and proceeded to make things worse by making insinuations that the completely innocent Musubi missed but that Minato grasped all too quickly and painfully.

When Uzume helpfully suggested that Musubi should loosen the kimono that Miya had found her a little to let her prodigious chest "breath", Minato almost spat a piece of carrot clean across the room.

Uzume of course loved this and declared aloud that this spit take was a clear indication of how he would love to see Musubi's chest "breath"

For his part, Minato would have thanked any deity involved if the ground had been kind enough to open up and swallowed him right there.

This type of behaviour went on for a good hour until Miya called time on the festivities and sent everyone away, insisting that Musubi and Musubi alone help her clean up which of the course the young girl was only too happy to do.

* * *

Alone in the dark a little while later, Musubi lay wide awake staring at the wooden roof of what was now her room.

Her own room!

She could scarcely believe it. One minute she had been hiding in a pile of garbage and the next she was carefully stacking her meagre belongings in the corner of a large room that had been given to her.

"This room is yours Musubi," the landlady had told her as she guided her in by the arm. "Tomorrow we will discuss the conditions of your stay but for tonight…" and she quietly trailed off. Realising that she hadn't finished what she was saying, she smiled at her young charge and quickly changed the topic.

"There are some old clothes on the counter over there – they probably all won't fit you properly but they'll do until you get the chance to purchase some of your own."

Not for the first time that evening, Musubi bowed low, "Thank you Landlady – you are too kind to Musubi."

Miya smiled again and made her way out, closing the door without a word.

And so Musubi found herself left to her own devices.

Having come from a place where the only view was of sterile white walls, she immediately opened the window to discover what scenery surrounded her. To her delight, she had a pleasant view of the large open garden that was situated behind the inn. A large sakura tree dominated one corner of the garden but its strong branches spread far enough that she thought she could reach one if she leaned out far enough through her second story window. Immensely pleased with this, she closed the window again and elected to turn in for the night.

The bed provided for her consisted of a single mattress and a number of thin colourful blankets. Still feeling warm from the bath and the food, she discarded the blankets and most of what she was wearing and tried simply lying solely atop the mattress in the hope that sleep would take her.

She stayed like that for at least twenty minutes and yet still didn't feel anywhere close to tired. Her head was alive with the sound of ringing laughter and the joyous shouting that she had experienced with her new friends under an hour ago.

Musubi had quickly determined that Uzume was a lot like Karasuba - like how she imagined an older sister should be. Wise and funny and full of helpful advice on any topic Musubi could think of. She didn't quite get everything she was saying but everyone seemed to find her funny. And if Uzume was the older sister of the group, then Homura was naturally the older brother – courteous and handsome while kind and funny all at the same time.

And lastly there was Minato.

He had been largely quiet through the meal but she found that she was happiest when it was him that was speaking to her, that somehow his opinion was the most important thing in the world. Even before the meal while bathing she had been reflecting on their encounter and had resolved to find out more about him. After all, it had been him that had rescued her from the garbage heap.

But all those questions had to wait as Uzume especially was demanding of her attention. She guessed she should be happy that they had liked her so readily but now that she was alone she felt a stinging disappointment that she had not spoken more with the young man who had brought her here in the first place. She felt that there was so much she wanted to know, almost needed to know.

This line of thinking brought her to the conclusion that she was never going to get any sleep while all her important questions remained unanswered.

Rising quickly, she was almost out the door before she realised she had probably put something on. The landlady had mentioned something about behaving in a ladylike manner as they had cleaned away the food and Musubi figured that this is probably what she meant. She threw on a large shirt and some furry slippers and quietly slipped out the door into the dark corridor.

* * *

Two doors down from the room where Musubi had just left, Miya eyes flashed open, her hand already reaching for her ornate katana. Realising immediately who and what the noise was, she slowly released her hand from the hilt.

Having observed Musubi and Minato at the meal, she watched the slight connection between her and her other charge form into something stronger, something unstoppable. The only way to keep Musubi from Minato now would be to either kill her or have some other Ashikabi wing her. And so she let things play out.

Miya believed deeply that there was a special place in hell waiting for Takami and herself for what they had done and would continue to do to the pair. People so young should not have to carry such a burden.

But when faced with the alternative, what choice did they have?

Though it was a reasonable excuse, it offered little solace to the landlady of Izumu Inn as she wept silent tears.

* * *

Bathed in the illumination of a multiple large screens, Matsu charted Musubi's slow progress through the Inn via the multiple cameras that were secreted in almost every area of the building. She had been surprised when Miya herself had insisted on them being installed without the divulging the reason why. Being a natural voyeur, Matsu was only too happy to oblige and had personally placed most of the gear herself.

Secreted away as she was, she had lived vicariously through the myriad images on the screen. She had shared every triumph and tasted every bitter defeat that had occurred within the Inn's walls over the past few months.

And most of all, she had watched Minato. At first she had been largely unimpressed by the young man and more so by the fact that he was the principle reason she was banished from the Inn in the first place But over the following hours they had shared together (not that he had known about her presence in his life) his uncertain cautious nature and almost naïve charm had chipped away at her resentment.

Soon the majority of her screens were devoted to him – catching every emotion and expression in high definition. She came to realise that he was a work in progress, a grand experiment that she herself could help to shape.

Matsu was self aware enough to realise that her senses had determined that he was the one for her, knew that it was her destiny to be winged by his touch and to become his Sekirei. When she had bravely confronted Miya with this realisation, she was again surprised by the landlady actions. She had expected a furious and overwhelming response but instead was met with acceptance and quiet resignation. Miya had only asked for time - that Matsu could not be his first as there were greater stakes involved.

At the time, Matsu had willingly agreed as the relief of not having to go against Miya wishes flooded through her. But now in hindsight she regretted that decision, feeling that maybe Miya's wrath would be far less painful then the burning longing she felt for Minato.

It was only now, after what felt like endless hours of waiting that their inevitable union was no longer some far off event. Once Minato fulfilled Miya's stipulation and became an Ashikabi then she would be allowed return to the Inn, allowed to claim her place by his side.

But first she would have to endure this.

She had watched the meal with numerous digital eyes - had seen Minato's coyness about the girl and her eagerness towards him in turn. There were a few moments when she thought that the winging might take place right in front of everyone but Uzume or Homura would usually intercede, knowingly or not.

This time though, alone in his room, there would be no interruptions.

On the largest screen, Musubi crept along the corridor, stopping finally when she reached Minato's door.

Matsu glanced at another screen where Minato was still struggling to find sleep before quickly turning back to the anxious Musubi.

Musubi knocked lightly on the thin wooden door, causing Minato to stop his restless movements as he wondered if he had really heard the soft knock.

She knocked again, a little more insistent this time.

Sure of what he heard, Minato threw off the few blankets he was using and grabbed his thin robe and made his way tentatively to the door.

In her little room, her heart bursting with a mixture of fear and joy, Musubi turned off every feed from the Inn. She didn't want to watch this, couldn't watch it in fact. She knew well enough that her body would respond the moment Minato embraced his fate and became an Akishabi.

* * *

"Musubi! What are you do-? Musubi! Your clothes!!" Minato practically shrieked as he was met with the sight of a practically naked girl outside his door. He had dreamed of this scenario quite a few times and it had usually involved him sweeping a willing girl off her feet. It turned out that he didn't quite respond like that in reality.

"They are not dry yet so kind Landlady Miya gave me these," Musubi explained, missing the intent of the question and instead making things worse by holding up the edges of the flimsy shirt and emphasising the root of Minato's distress.

Bravely (or at least he thought so anyway) looking anywhere then at her, Minato quickly removed his robe and held it out at arm's length in her general direction.

"Please put this on before…just put this on," he pleaded.

While not understanding why he was acting the way he was, Musubi didn't wish to upset him further so she took his robe and draped it over her shoulders without comment. The robe felt warm to her, maybe all the more so because it came from him.

After a few moments Minato sneaked a peek and was relieved when a relatively decent Musubi beamed back at him expectantly.

"If Miya saw you like that, she'd get very upset," Minato explained weakly, leaving out what would happen to him if the quiet but sometimes lethal landlady saw him standing with her looking the way she did outside of his room.

"Was I not ladylike?" Musubi asked, still not grasping totally what Miya had mentioned earlier on when she said that she would have to teach her to behave and dress in a civilised manner.

"Not really," Minato answered lamely, not wanting to point out that Musubi was currently at the complete opposite end of the spectrum to ladylike.

"Then Minato has saved me again," Musubi declared happily.

"I – wait, what?" Feeling completely flustered, Minato wished he didn't always feel like he was always talking about something else when around the intriguing girl.

"This is Minato's room?" she asked, peering around him into the darkened chamber beyond, the only light coming from the half opened window that allowed in some of the moon's light.

"Uh yes," Minato answered before Musubi surprised him again by stepping past him to enter. "Musubi, you shouldn't be here – Miya wouldn't approve" he whispered desperately.

"Why?" she asked, turning to face him.

"A woman in a man's room alone is improper," he responded feebly as he followed her in.

"Why?" she asked again.

"It…it isn't safe," Minato couldn't bring himself to elaborate on what that meant exactly.

Musubi shook her head.

"It is safe because you are here. You will keep me safe and I will keep you safe," she declared solemnly as she stared up at him intently. Looking back into her eyes, he found himself believing her, nodding at her powerful proclamation.

"Do you believe in destiny Minato-chan?" she asked, closing the distance between them, her hands clasped with almost prayer like fervour in front of her chest.

"I...I never gave it much thought," he answered, fearful and excited all at the same time.

"Musubi believes in destiny," she countered, edging closer still until her arms were resting against his chest.

"You do?" Minato felt time slow allowing him to remember every detail of this moment.

Musubi nodded as she moved her arms around his back to embrace him, laying her head beneath his chin and totally unconcerned that his robe had fallen off her shoulders. She had never felt as warm before.

"I can hear your heart beating," she whispered, closing her eyes in dreamy pleasure. "It's a strong heart, a good and gentle heart," she decided.

Minato could manage nothing in reply, his mind reeling at the softness of her bare chest against his, the soap clean smell of her skin and hair overwhelm his senses.

He wasn't sure how long they stood like that, he didn't even care.

Musubi broke the embrace and angled her face towards his. Their eyes held each other for a moment before Minato leaned down to meet her waiting lips.

Then the world went white.

* * *

A distance across the city, springing eagerly across the rooftops in pursuit of the two twin Sekirei foolish enough to pick a fight with her, the powerful Sekirei of water known as Tsukiumi pulled up suddenly as she felt something pull at her chest. She staggered against a wall in an effort to stay upright, all thoughts of the chase now forgotten as she focused on the intense feeling gripping her.

What was this sensation? She had never before felt this weak!

She needed to get to safety, needed to go to the only place she could really call home. Summoning on reserves of strength, she leapt back the way she came.

* * *

Eyes flickering open, Minato awoke to find a naked Musubi sleeping peacefully beside him, her head nestled on his chest.

Too scared to move, he glanced down and was relieved beyond words to find that his pants were still on meaning that he hadn't done anything unforgiveable.

The loud intrusive buzzing of his phone caused Minato to shriek out loud and awaken a slightly startled but apparently content Musubi who quickly clasped her arms about him.

He grasped the phone from the table and flipped it open

"Congratulations, you were magnificently chosen to be the partner of a Sekirei" a rather odd looking man beamed at him from the display on the phone.

"Who are-" Minato began to ask, still quite confused by what was going on.

"Oh Porfessor!," Musubi laughed, letting go of Minato to poke her head in front of the phone's camera.

"Oh Musubi," he laughed as all he could see was her impressive bust, "are you doing well?"

"Yes Professor," she replied happily – "I have found my Ashikabi"

"What's going on Musubi, who is this guy?"

"How can you not know my face? Read the newspaper at least at least Minato," the man proclaimed, a little put out about not being known.

"How do you know my name – wait, how did you even get this number?"

"There's nothing I don't know," he responded with a smirk.

"Minato Sahashi, welcome to the Sekirei Plan – that's the name of the game you're participating in"

Ignoring Minato's confused expression he continued with the speech he gave every Ashikabi.

"The Rules of the game are simple. There are 108 freed Sekirei about the city. Those 108 Sekirei fight and fight and fight until one remains. And the Ashikabi of the last remaining Sekirei is given permission to ascend. The Ashikabi who overcomes those odds will hold the fate of the world in their hands."

"But remember this, the Sekirei plan is the most important event in human history – and since you now know about, you must keep it secret. In the case that you leak any information, MBI will be forced to retaliate with every power at its disposal."

"Wait! Retaliate?"

"You'll have to excuse me now Minato and Musubi as I'm a busy man and there are matters I must attend to. Good luck in the game"

And the screen went dead, leaving a stunned Minato and a grinning Musbi sitting together in the middle of his room.

* * *

"That bitch!" Minaka flung the phone clean across his office, smashing it to pieces against the far wall.

"How dare she interfere," he bellowed to the empty room.

Did she think he wouldn't put it together - that her son and the Sekirei she handpicked to train becoming pair the same day she is released and in the home of one of the most powerful and ruthlessly independent Sekirei of all?

Did she not understand that to tamper in the destiny of the game was to render it pointless?

Anger abating, he settled back into his large seat.

No, anger would achieve nothing. He had to restore the balance and teach her that the game was beyond such worldly concerns as family and her petty scheming.

He tapped a few buttons on a console and a 3D display sprang into existence in front of him. He waited a moment before an impatient voice echoed through the room.

"It's the middle of the night - what do you want?"

"I have a proposal for you Mikogami," Minaka declared, his smile almost evident in his tone.

There was a moment's hesitation from the other party.

"Go on"

"I need you to discipline one of my workers. She is not to be hurt but a message she will understand must be sent."

"And what do I get in return for this?"

"She will be with a very powerful un-winged Sekirei whom you may take for your own. I will give you the location and time to make contact and ensure that security is…elsewhere. Are we agreed?"

There was no hesitation this time.

"Yes."


	3. Takami Explains It All

Disclaimer: Sekirei doesn't belong to me but to some shady MBI like corporation.

* * *

The almost suffocating tightness in her chest had long passed by the time Tsukiumi perched atop a large MBI billboard to observe the converted domicile below her. Neighbored as it was by regular, small, single story bungalows, the large, re-purposed temple dominated the surrounding landscape. With a minimum of effort, she leaped the distance to the only open window on the top floor as she wanted to avoid having to ring the front door. Such a pedestrian entrance was beneath her.

Though there was no way for her to know for sure, she intuitively felt like that the window must have been left open especially for her – why else would someone leave a single window open in the middle of the night. She had resolved never to come here despite the open invitation accorded to her before she left the relative safety of the MBI headquarters. But the sensations she had felt overrode any concerns she had and the truth was that there was no one on the planet who would know better what had happened to her then the building's owner.

"_While you work things out, you can call it home_," an amused voice echoed in her memory.

Frowning, she stepped through the window and alighted lightly in the room. Save for a simple cot that was flush against the far wall, the small room the pretty much empty. Looking around, Tsukiumi felt that while the building had obviously been lived in at some stage, it had some time since the living had occupied it with any great frequency.

She opened the single door softly and crept along the landing, feeling her way along in the relative darkness towards the dim light that came from somewhere below. Though she had no reason to be afraid, a fear almost as strong as the one she had felt earlier began to build in the pit of her stomach. The urge to flee came upon her but she steeled herself – what had happened tonight had been physical – if something was wrong with her, she had to know and fix it somehow.

She made her way steadily down the two floors of the building until the light source was apparent, spilling out from beneath a single door off the main hall. She reached forward and tentatively pushed it open, revealing a study of some kind that seemed to be covered from wall to wall in books. In the centre beneath the single light, a large chair held a thin, gray haired woman who was busy reading from a large leather bound book.

"So you came," her surprisingly chipper voice called out, sounding much louder than it was as it shattered the silence.

"I did…ma'am" Tsukiumi answered haltingly, always tongue-tied around the woman.

"Surprised it took you this long – seven days is a long time when you're on your own for the first time."

"I wouldn't have come at all but," Tsukiumi began defiantly before trailing off, not wanting to admit weakness to this woman of all people.

"But?" the woman inquired.

"Something happened tonight…I was engaging in the plan when I was struck down by a…a terrible weakness," Tsukiumi struggled to find the words to describe the feeling.

"Oh," was all the woman said in response but she at least she had now lowered the book, placing it on a small table adjacent to the chair.

"You've been eating I take it?" she asked with a small smile.

"Of course," Tsukiumi dismissed this notion immediately, insulted that the woman think her so stupid.

"Well then, let's take a look, shall we?" She said after sniggering openly at Tsukiumi's annoyed defense. "Come with me child," she beckoned as she rose from the chair and made her way past Tsukiumi and out the door, waiting until the Sekirei began to follow.

She led Tsukiumi wordlessly back up the stairs to another room that once lit, showed a large number of cabinets and medical equipment frequented about the room. On the large examining table that dominated the room, lay a single white patient's gown that Tsukiumi recognized all too well.

"Change and we'll do an examination," the old woman instructed, pointing at the gown before taking out some instruments from a drawer to check that they were sterile and suitable for her needs.

Tsukiumi considered the gown with disdain. "No – I'm done with examinations now," she declared proudly, not wanting to reveal the real reason.

"Don't tell me you're still too much of a prude to undress in front of me after all this time?" the woman asked, clearly enjoying Tsukiumi discomfort and knowing exactly why the proud warrior was being difficult.

"It's not dignified," Tsukiumi blushed, hating her body for betraying her.

"Remember child, I've been with you since you were little more than a collection of cells in suspended animation. There's nothing you have that I haven't seen before – even if you have quite a deal more of some things more than others," she said absently regarding Tsukiumi's bosom which seemed to be in a perpetual state of heaving indignation.

Tsukiumi knew there was no winning and quickly changed in the corner, trying her best to shield her modesty. When done, she sat upon the table without prompting, having gone through this ritual numerous times before.

"Describe what happened – leave no detail out," the woman demanded as she began her examination.

Tsukiumi began relating the events as she remembered them as the woman circled her continuously stopping now and then to use one of her various tools – some archaic and some from the very cutting edge of science.

Tsukiumi told her everything up until the point she reached the billboard outside the house.

The old woman leaned back against a counter and pulled out a crushed cigarette as she regarded the readout from one of the newer looking instruments. "Interesting" was all she would share with Tsukiumi.

"Is there something wrong with me, do I need more tuning?" Tsukiumi asked fearfully.

"No, as expected you're practically the peak of physical perfection. But it does appear that your bio-electrics are out from your baseline numbers from previous exams."

"What does that mean?" Tsukiumi asked, not being at all familiar with any of what the old lady was telling her.

"I believe it indicates your body is undergoing what my old departed colleague Dr Asama referred to as sympathetic resonance."

"Sympathetic resonance," Tsukiumi repeated in a whisper, not liking how that sounded at all.

The woman nodded and then went on to explain, "a Sekirei's body is quite unusual that in additional to regular "human" functions, your bio-electric field also acts as a rudimentary kind of broadcast-receiver system. Earlier this evening, I believe an external event occurred that caused that system to turn on for a period of time – probably the duration of your discomfort."

"What kind of external event?"

"If I were to guess, probably an Ashikabi winging his or her first Sekirei," she shrugged.

"What has that got to do with me?" Tsukiumi snapped, not wanting anything to do with any of the monkeys or the lesser Sekirei that associated with them.

"Again it's only hearsay, but it was probably your _destined_ Ashikabi who was doing the winging," she emphasized the word destined for maximum impact, knowing exactly how to get a reaction from her adopted child.

"What!" Tsukiumi nearly fell off her seat in surprise.

The old woman still found Tsukiumi's attitude towards Ashikabi endearing if a little misguided. "Yes. Their first winging would dramatically increase their field of influence, seemingly wide enough now that your body picked up on it and in response is now altering its properties to be even more receptive to the Ashikabi – to resonate in tune with the field of their destined as Asama so quaintly put it."

"How can I stop it," Tsukiumi demanded, leaping from the bed to grasp the older woman by the collar, lifting her off the ground with no apparent effort.

The older woman gave her look which dimmed her fervour instantly, and she gently put her back on her feet.

"You can't. Whatever your feelings on the matter, the heart wants what the heart wants. If they were to wing another or somehow come close enough, I imagine you'll feel the sensation again, and a lot stronger the next time."

Tsukiumi stumbled back against the table, "I would rather die," she exclaimed dramatically.

"Oh pish, you're far too stubborn to allow yourself lose to anyone," the woman declared with a dismissive wave as she made her way out of the room – apparently now totally unconcerned with Tsukiumi's condition. "Get dressed and I'll make you a proper meal – you can tell me all about your adventures since leaving MBI."

Alone in the room, Tsukiumi contemplated this most recent revelation. The old woman was right - suicide or defeat was not an option for Tsukiumi. But there were other options. If her supposed destined Ashikabi were killed somehow – then how could she be winged?

* * *

It had been a dream.

Shifting stiffly on his futon Minato considered it in the simplest terms. There was no possible reality in which girls forced their way into his room to have their way with him – no matter how much (or how little) he resisted. That kind of stuff wouldn't even happen to Seo and he had somehow managed to snare twins.

So the idea of a girl wanting to make out with him like her life depended on it made the whole scenario unlikely. Couple with that was the fact that during the life dependent making out the room had suddenly filled with light, all of it seeming to spill from Musubi's back or neck.

In some last man on earth scenarios he could possibly see a very desperate girl wanting to make out with him. But light coming out of their backs – well that was just pure dream fluff, wasn't it?

The phone call of course would also have to get a mention than. As a growing boy, he had of course experienced some frustrating sex dreams before but never once had his progress to becoming a proper man (in his dreams) been halted because the head of the biggest multinational corporation in the country needed to inform him that he was now part of a super-secret-fight-club kind of thing taking place all over Tokyo.

Yup, definitely a dream.

Given that he was now alone in his room he hoped he could just fall asleep again in order to get back to enjoying the dream for what it was – especially the portion where large, soft breasts used him as a willing pillow and definitely before things got weird...or at least exceptionally weird.

All his hopes were dashed as usual when there was a gentle but insistent knock at his door.

"Minato, I need you to come to the kitchen please," Miya declared with the same firmness as her knock.

While her tone was perfectly pleasant, Minato's guard was instantly raised – what had he done? Oh no - she knew about his dream –he knew she was practically omniscient when it came to goings on in the inn but how the hell did she know about his dream?

"Landlady, there's been a terrible misunderstanding," he practically shouted as he stumbled from his bed.

"You should hurry Minato, your mother is a busy woman," Miya advised as she drifted down the corridor away from his room, "it's long past time we had a talk"

His mother – what the hell was going on? He must still be asleep but now instead of dreams of heavenly soft breasts he was experiencing hellish nightmares of well…his mother.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked the empty room in exasperation.

* * *

Half an hour later…

Minato sat limp and stunned in the dining room. Thirty minutes was all it took for the trio of Miya, Musubi and his clearly amused mother to calmly turn his world upside down. To explain that he had experienced no dream the previous night and that the Sekirei plan was in fact real. That his mother was not working for some pharmaceutical company was in fact one of its chief architects of this insane plan and that the Sekirei were some kind of super soldiers destined to fight one another until only one of them was left. That he had been living with these beings for six months now in complete ignorance and now he was responsible for one.

Thirty minutes…

And Minato thought his biggest worry for the day would be having to contact his mother and tell her about his latest set of failing grades. He got the impression that she probably wasn't too bothered as she calmly pulled away on a cigarette, much to Miya's displeasure.

"Why me?" was all he could muster in response.

"For many, that question never even crosses their minds," his mother puffed, "Why me? My colleagues and I had several theories but nothing especially conclusive. Maybe what the Sekirei themselves believe is right – maybe it's just a matter of fate and there is no rational logic to it. Dwelling on the why is merely time misspent – you should just accept it and move on."

"I knew it was you straight away," Musubi added with such certainly that the reasons why seemed unimportant anyway.

For all that, Minato could only manage a weak smile, not yet able to come to terms with her unshakeable belief in their destiny of being together. He leaned forward across the table and refilled his glass from the large pitcher of water placed there, needing a moment to clear his head.

"So what happens now?" he asked the trio as they waited patiently for him to come back down to earth.

"That's up to you," his mother shrugged.

"I would offer some council if you'd accept it?" Miya interrupted the two, having thus far been largely silent which Minato noted was very unlike her. He nodded his agreement immediately, still feeling like he was standing in quicksand and that it would be Miya of all could people who could provide him something solid to stand on.

"As your mother says, what happens now is largely up to you but in one respect your hands are very much tied. You are part of the plan now which means Musubi will eventually have to fight on your behalf."

"Fight…for me?" he stuttered.

Musubi nodded furiously, "and win for you," she added with a clenched fist, her conviction unshakeable.

"Sekirei live for the fight almost as much as they live for their Ashikabi, Mina- ," Takami stated, trying to explain Musubi's apparent enthusiasm for battle.

"So does the fighting happen in a ring or something?"

Takami shook her head, "It can happen anywhere – impromptu fights are taking place as we speak. Some winged Sekirei are even fighting the un-winged to increase their chances of ultimately winning."

"Why don't you stop it?" Minato asked, almost pleading for his mother to save him like she did when he was a child.

"Truthfully, I have little actual power in MBI when it comes to the plan. Everything of any importance runs through the Chairman. Even my being here now puts us all at risk."

"Why?" Minato just couldn't understand – they were only talking after all.

"That fool Minaka believes in the whole destiny and fate spiel even more than the Sekirei do – he would not look kindly on my tampering with fate," she explained with a bitter smile.

"Tampering?"

"That's not important right now," Takami dismissed his inquiry nonchalantly, not wanting to reveal just how instrumental she had been in directing Musubi towards her son and consequently snaring him in the plan.

"I knew that there was always a chance that you were capable of becoming an Ashikabi. You had all the genetic markers that we've discovered an Ashikabi must possess to allow for winging to occur. I placed you here to help prepare you if a winging came to pass and I'm glad that I did."

"What about Yukari, wouldn't she be the same as me?"

Takami sighed sadly, "She is. But I figured as long as she stayed away from Tokyo that she'd be safe enough. It was a good plan in principle but is no longer viable I'm afraid."

"Huh."

"She got into Shigdong Women's University, first time. She found out yesterday and is already on her way here to check out the facilities. Her train arrives later this morning in fact. She told me she wanted to surprise you. So…surprise!" she finished weakly.

"What are you going to tell her?"

"I'm not sure yet. I'll see what she's like when she gets here. It's possible she only wants to do some scouting and nothing more. If it's more than a few days, then we have a problem. Either way, you should prepare some way of explaining Musubi that doesn't get you in trouble with MBI…or Yukari for that fact."

She looked at her watch and rose from the table. "I'm sorry to cut this short but I should return to the lab before picking up your sister. Listen to Miya, Mina-tan; she will help you where I can't. And Musubi-chan, please take care of my little boy."

"Of course," Musubi nodded before offering a small bow of respect.

"Wait," Minato jumped from his seat, still having so many questions for his enigmatic mother.

"Miya will help you," Takami re-affirmed, "trust her and your Sekirei and everything will work out. Miya can point you towards others, Sekirei and Ashikabi alike that will aid your cause," Takami stated, stopping by the door, wanting to say more but knowing that time as always was against her. She gave Miya a brief nod and then was gone.

The remaining trio sat in silence, Minato hoping in vain that his mother would return, but resigned to knowing she would not.

"I know it may not seem like it now Minato but your mother has your best interests at heart," Miya finally spoke, trying to assure him a little.

"My best interests? She has been lying to me my entire life!" He exclaimed.

"Sahashi-senpai was always very kind to me," Musubi observed, placing her hand gently atop Minato's, calming him almost instantly.

"So what can I do? I've never been much of a fighter…" he whispered to her, feeling so lost

Miya smiled gently, pleased at his concern.

"Being an Ashikabi is not so much about being a fighter. It is more about the bond between you and your Sekirei. By simply being with her, you aid Musubi. But if you're concerned about fighting then you should allow me to train her. Her own skills are considerable but I have experience that may aid her."

Musubi eyes practically glowed at the thought of sparring against the enigmatic landlady.

Minato bowed immediately prompting Musubi to quickly follow suit.

"Please Landlady, I would be in your debt," his own eyes were damp and pleading.

"It would be my honour," she said, happy to see him embrace the responsibility placed upon him, however unwelcome it may have initially been.

"Furthermore as an Ashikabi, you should also consider winging other Sekirei" she mused aloud.

"Wait, what?" Minato's snapped up in shock, as if Miya had run some kind of electric current through the floor.

"Of course, strength in numbers is the most rudimentary of tactics but it's a tactic nonetheless and a good one to start with," she explained, indifferent to his surprise.

"You mean I should just replace Musubi?" Minato was truly horrified at the thought. They may have been thrown together by fate or whatever but right there and then he felt he would rather die than betray her.

Miya laughed softly, amused by Minato's presumption.

"Sekirei are not cars or cell phones – you would not be upgrading or replacing her – you would be supplementing her. There are already quite a few Ashikabi who have winged more than one Sekirei – some even against their will. For better or for worse, every Sekirei winged by an Ashikabi adds to their potential to ultimately triumph."

"That can't be allowed, surely?"

"The plan has very few rules, most of which you already know. There are probably only a few individuals capable of winging Sekirei, but those few are capable of winging any Sekirei they encounter. As Musubi said, within seconds of meeting you, she subconsciously knew you were her Ashikabi. No other Ashikabi would give her that feeling but they could still wing her no matter how much she might resist."

Musubi nodded in agreement, having heard some horror stories while living in MBI.

"That's just not right," Minato muttered.

"I agree – but they will still fight to the fullest of their ability for the Ashikabi who winged them. Fighting for your Ashikabi is a core tenet of a Sekirei's being…but it's also true that their very ability to fight will be diminished because the winging was not with their fated partner."

Minato slumped forward onto the table, shaking his head as he did so.

"It just all seems so crazy," he murmured.

Minato was still grappling with it all as Miya calmly finished her tea. Musubi was content to just sit still next to Minato, instinctively knowing to trust in the older woman's ability to guide her young master.

"Minato, I have a confession to make," Miya announced, finally ready to break the comfortable silence.

Minato sat back up and regarded her curiously, wondering what could be regarded as a confession after all that she and her mother had just shared with him.

"Prior to your arrival at the Inn, there was another un-winged Sekirei, Matsu, staying here. She was in a little spot of trouble with MBI and knew of this place as a safe haven for those with nowhere else to go. When I learned that you were coming, your mother insisted I send her away as she didn't want to compromise you both. Matsu is a good girl but she lives in her head and sometimes doesn't think through what she does. We feared she may inadvertently wing herself with you before either of you were ready to deal with the consequence of that act but now that Musubi is by your side, that danger is passed and I would like to allow her return to the Inn."

"Uh…okay – I mean of course she can come back," Minato responded, not sure why she would need his permission.

"Don't be so hasty. Before I sent her away she was naturally curious as to who was usurping her here, namely yourself. Her curiously spiked, she resolved to find out all about you and her abilities as a Sekirei allowed her to do this with ease. I should have curtailed her activities immediately but my sin was in underestimating just how committed she can be."

"You've seen how single minded Musubi was once she decided you were her Ashikabi, Matsu could be far worse. Would you welcome her back – knowing that there is a high chance she would seek you out as her Ashikabi?"

"Could Musubi stop her?" Minato asked; feeling threatened by the spectre of a girl he had never met yet according to Miya knew all about him.

Miya regarded Musubi for a moment and also considered the absent bespectacled Sekirei they were discussing.

"In a physical fight I believe she could. The pertinent question however is whether she _would _stop her. Matsu presents no real physical danger to you and Musubi strikes me as the type who is more than happy to…share, eh?"

Musubi pursed her lips in thought before nodding, "If it would make Minato happy then Musubi would also be happy."

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with all this winging stuff to be honest," Minato interrupted, not wanting the two women to sell each other on an idea he himself wasn't sold on.

"Oh, did you not enjoy winging Musubi?" Miya asked with a small grin, causing Minato to go a bright red.

"What no, I mean yes, of course but that wasn't planned or anything – this feels a little creepy."

"Well, why don't I arrange for her to visit and we can see how you all interact. If she's around you and she feels nothing then all this might not even is an issue. I think I know you well enough to know that you would not press the issue."

"Of course not," Minato reaffirmed, appalled at the very notion.

"Very well. You and Musubi have much to discuss while I contact Matsu. Uzume should be back soon with some new clothes for you Musubi. When you're ready, change into something suitable and we'll have our first training session."

She rose gracefully from the table and bowed before the pair. She paused just before leaving the room.

"Minato, you do yourself proud in how you're handling all of this," she observed, causing the junior Ashikabi to blush again.

"Thank you, Landlady-sama," Minato replied, touched by her approval.

After she left, Minato turned to his face his Sekirei who had edged closer to him as Miya departed. Rubbing his head sheepishly, he smiled at her.

"So, ah…hi"

* * *

"MBI will supply you with your replacement uniforms for as long as you're in the plan so there's no need to worry about that," Uzume explained as she laid out all the purchases on her bed in front of Musubi.

Musubi eyes were as wide as saucers. Material possessions meant nothing to her but she still experienced the same glee as everyone else at getting new things.

"There's two of everything," Musubi observed.

"Ha!" Uzume exclaimed with a triumphant grin, "there appears to be two of everything but that's not completely true. Let's take your sparring gear for example," she said, grabbing the two plain white shirts from the top of the heap. She examined the tags for a moment before adding a small black M to the back of one with a market she produced from her pocket. She handed the non-marked one to Musubi along with a similarly plain pair of small brown shorts.

"Put these on," she instructed.

With her usual lack of modesty, Musubi changed immediately in front of the girl, who busied herself putting the remainder of the clothes into neat piles, marking the tags of a few garments with a telltale m.

"Well, what do you think?" she asked when Musubi was changed.

"It's great," Musubi stated with glee as she stretched this way and that, throwing a few air punches just to be sure, "they're very easy to move in."

"That's what I was going for," Uzume said as she walked around her companion. The clothes struck a good balance between being sensible and loose while still pleasing to the eye, which wasn't difficult really when applied to the curves Musubi possessed. Pleased with her choices, Uzume returned to the pile of clothes to acquire the other white top and another pair of shorts.

"What you have on now is your regular training outfit. Nine times out of ten, that's what you should wear but there are times when you'll want to wear this other training outfit," she explained, indicating the garments she had in her hand. She could tell that Musubi wasn't really following her.

"Here, try them on and you'll see."

Without a hint of complaint, Musubi changed again as Uzume sat back on the bed watching her struggle a bit with this version of the outfit tagged with the hidden m.

"It's tighter," Musubi explained unhappily, as she tried to stretch again but found that the garment was struggling to stretch along with her, particularly over her chest.

"Well you see that's because this one isn't really for training."

Musubi frowned, clearly lost.

"You wear this for Minato," Uzume revealed.

"For Minato?" Maybe Uzume didn't know but Musubi wasn't going to train with Minato.

"Boys are easy, Musubi. If you ever want Minato to pay attention to you, wear anything here marked with an m. They're all about two sizes too small for you which means that they'll squash your boobs and make them look huge - or massive in your case. Minato might not say it out loud – but you'll be making him very happy," Uzume promised with a grin.

"Thank you Uzume," Musubi squealed as she launched herself at Uzume, wrapping her in a hug.

Uzume giggled, hoping she could be there when Minato saw his Sekirei wearing this ensemble for the first time.

* * *

_Author's Note: This chapter was a massive, massive struggle and has undergone numerous changes (and I'm still not happy with this) but I'll go mad if I try and change it again. The huge chunk of exposition blah in the middle started life as a much longer conversation solely between Miya and Minato but Miya isn't very talkative at the best of times so I added Musubi to help. Turns out she's basically an airhead so Takami showed up to do the heavy lifting. There was another three pages of Takami explains it all that I ended cutting out, so bloated as it is, it could have been a lot worse. Having gotten the "explain things to Minato" bit out of the way, hopefully I can start doing the more interesting stuff where the story moves away properly from the original story. Next up is my version of Matsu seducing Minato, the Green Girl incident and Minaka putting his own wheels in motion._


End file.
